However, Tanaka’s stuff is legit, with a fastball that sits 90-92 mph but spikes to 96, a sharp breaking ball, and a splitter that disappears late on its path to the plate. He uses both the four- and two-seam varieties of the fastball with good movement and plus command, according to scouting reports as well as the limited footage available. His breaker has earned a slider label, though the velocity and trajectory of the pitch suggest a curve; semantics aside, his high-frequency usage of the pitch adds to the workload-related concerns with respect to his health. The best pitch in Tanaka’s arsenal is probably the splitter, which features arm-side run in addition to the trademark drop, and the fastball arm action adds to the deception of the split.

Tanaka at $25 million per year, and Sabathia at $24 million per year, comes to almost $50 million per year for two starting pitchers – both question marks… How long was Cashman able to stay under Hal Steinbrenner’s original 2011 “goal” of $189 million in 2014? 15 minutes?

Prove to me that it’s the pitching, and not the hitting, which determines who wins… Pitching of one team, and hitting of the opponent is two halves (sic) of the same coin.

“‘The signing of Tanaka] is huge, man. The game is pitching,’ [Derek] Jeter told the Associated Press [on Jan. 24, 2013]…”@ Evan3457:
BTW, the expression is “two ‘sides’ of the same coin,” not “two ‘halves’…”